Empathy makes Businesses Grow

In the first quarter of 2016 alone, venture capitalists invested almost $1.2 billion in VR technologies, almost 50 percent more than in the previous quarter.19 In 2017, following the devasting hurricane in Puerto Rico, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg used the company’s VR app to “visit” the island as part of Facebook’s partnership with the Red Cross recovery effort. While Zuckerberg was immersed in the scene, those watching the live feed saw his cartoon avatar touring through the wreckage alongside another company executive who, at one point, comments: “it’s crazy to feel like you’re in the middle of it.”20 In response to criticism, Zuckerberg apologized by saying:

One of the most powerful features of VR is empathy. My goal here was to show how VR can raise awareness and help us see what’s happening in different parts of the world. I also wanted to share the news of our partnership with the Red Cross to help with the recovery. Reading some of the comments, I realize this wasn’t clear, and I’m sorry to anyone this offended.

While some observers said the problem was that Zuckerberg’s immersive experience was not reflected in the cartoonish portrayal that viewers were witnessing, others have called into question the very idea of VR as empathy-inducing. As in other “awareness-raising experiences where viewers get a firsthand view of war, sickness, or other forms of suffering,” good intentions are no safeguard against harm or exploitation. As one critic observed:

The rhetoric of the empathy machine asks us to endorse technology without questioning the politics of its construction or who profits from it … Do you really need to wear a VR headset in order to empathize with someone? Can’t you just fucking listen to them and believe them? You need to be entertained as well? Are you sure this isn’t about you? … I don’t want your empathy, I want justice!”